It was OK that the male contestants on FOX-TV’s “American Idol” performed a day early Tuesday because female contestant Crystal Bowersox took ill and couldn’t perform.

And by that I mean the best of the guys was only OK.

It appears northeast Pennsylvania’s 16-year-oldAaron Kelly is safe, because his performance was – you guessed it – OK.

But after last week’s debacle in which two of the best male contestants, including Nazareth’s Tyler Grady, were voted off, who knows?

Aaron Kelly

Here’s my bet, though: Todrick Hall, after his second horrible performancein a row, really needs to go. He crashed and burned on Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” Judge Simon Cowell said, “This is not working out at all for you. You are getting this completely and utterly wrong.”

And Tim Urban, who should have been voted off last week, was horrible on a song I like: Matt Nathanson’s “Come On Get Higher.” Judge Randy Jackson, who’s becoming irrelevant, called it “very karaoke.” Even new “I won’t criticize anyone but Tyler Grady” judge Ellen DeGeneres said he had “no charisma, no stage presence.” But Cowell said it was a “marked improvement” (How could it not be? Last week’s performance made my ears bleed).

Also horrible for the second week in a row was Jermaine Sellers, 27, who was awful on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” Again Ellen, apparently having tasted blood with Tyler Grady, said, it ”didn’t work for me.”

And ironically, early favorite Casey James was very, very weak on Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be.” Thankfully Judge Kara DioGuarditruthfully said he “took two steps backward,” but Cowell said it was like “someone trying to be a rock star.” But James is the season’s heartthrob, so don’t expect him to be voted off.

The surprise was Alex Lambert, the mullet boy who made it through last week over Grady. After a shaky start on John Legend’s “Everybody Knows,” he actually was – OK. Cowell said he was “A million times better.”

Others who were OK were: Michael Lynch, who sane James Brown’s“This is a Man’s World.” (The judges were over the top with undeserved praise. John Park on John Mayer’s “Gravity” (The judgeswere over the top critical); other early favorite Andrew Garcia on James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something”;and Lee DeWyze, who was very DavidCook on Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel.” This one really saw the judges gush: Cowell said he was “vocally head and shoulders above” the other guys and “may be the one to beat.”

Kelly, of Sonestown, Sullivan County, sang The Temptations’“My Girl,” starting weak but making up for it on a countrified performance.Jackson told him, “You can really sing!” and DioGuardi said he did “his version of the song.” But Cowell said it was “all over the place” and “too old fashioned.”

Probably the show’sfunniest moment was a background clip that showed the large-build Lynche doing arm curls with Kelly’s body.

The women are to perform tonight, with two more of them and two more guys voted off on Thursday’s show.